Blanket Forts and Passion Fruit Shampoo
by indehed
Summary: (McDanno) There was probably some psychological explanation to do with the innocence of youth and a return to safety or some such bullshit. Steve didn't care. If it worked, it worked. "Just us," he hummed. "The soft pillows, the glow of the torch, the smell of passion fruit- which I think is your shampoo-"


**_Summary: There was probably some psychological explanation to do with the innocence of youth and a return to safety or some such bullshit. Steve didn't care. If it worked, it worked. "Just us," he hummed. "The soft pillows, the glow of the torch, the smell of passion fruit- which I think is your shampoo-"_**

 **Notes: I was bored so I started writing with the simple thought of 'under covers' and this came out. No idea what it is beyond silly fluff and I really should have been writing any of about 5 other fics I have on the go but I quite literally just decided to spent 20 minutes on this while drying my hair. Which probably makes it one of my classic 20 minute fics. I don't even know. Don't look at me.**

 **Originally published on ao3: January 2016**

* * *

It had been a tough day. Tough case. Kids had been involved and that always hit the whole team hard. Steve and Danny had both been injured - Danny was limping and Steve's shoulder had been badly bruised. The same one he'd dislocated twice before and was more susceptible to injuring these days.

They'd come home grimy, dirty, sweaty and bone weary. Moving on autopilot they'd showered and eaten a quick bite before shuffling to bed.

With mumbled 'good nights' they'd hoped to fall into an exhausted slumber. Danny had curled onto his side, one arm under his head the other wrapped around his upper chest, one knee drawn up while the other stayed straight so as not to aggravate his knee where he'd been hit by that bat.

Steve lay on his back, almost ramrod straight with the covers pulled up high.

The weather outside was making itself known and maybe it was the noise from the rain, the thunder, the claps of lightning and the way tree branches kept knocking against the side of the house that kept them awake. Or maybe it was everything that was replaying behind their eyes as they closed them. But despite their tiredness, neither could fall asleep.

Steve turned his head and stared for long moments at Danny's back, at his raised shoulders, at the way his hair spread onto the pillow. "Danny?"

"Yeah," the other man mumbled, half-asleep, desperately tired but still awake and resigned to the fact.

"When I was a kid," he began, voice low. "When the weather got bad like this I'd climb right under the covers, maybe take a torch, some green army men and then pretend I was a General leading troops on the battlefield and we were hiding in trenches."

"Trust you to turn an innocent blanket fort into a war fantasy," Danny sighed out, still facing away.

"It changed when I got older though," Steve continued with his story. "There was the time I convinced Natalie Burgess to go deep under the covers with me." He smiled at the memory and could hear the snuffle of laughter from where Danny was lying.

Eventually Danny turned onto his back and curled an arm up backwards to lightly stroke against the smooth skin of Steve's upper arm.

"What are you trying to ask, babe?"

Steve shrugged in the dark. "Bad day, bad weather... blankets. It made me remember is all."

"Uh-huh, if you wanted to end the day expanding a happy memory, you can say so," Danny smiled at him, his body bouncing a little in the bed next to him while he scratched an itch on his thigh, the motion drawing Steve's attention in an unintended way.

"You wanna?" Steve asked.

"Sure, why not," Danny answered.

Between them they each took a corner of their covers and attached it up to the top of the bedpost, creating what was ostensibly a sloping roof to the bed. Steve grabbed for a torch in the bedside drawer and turned it on while muffling it against a pillow to avoid the brightness hurting their eyes. It created an orange glow around them that illuminated their now tiny world.

It worried Steve for a second. "This isn't gonna… I mean, your claustrophobia?"

"It's all good, Steven. I'm well aware this is something I can get out of easily. It's fine."

"Okay," Steve said as he snuggled close, wrapping himself around Danny, not even caring about the twinge in his shoulder and equally fine with the way their fort was beginning to heat up. "Do you ever get claustrophobic when I hold you?" he asked. He'd never even considered it before, though he was pretty sure Danny's problems stemmed from the feeling of being unable to escape more than the size of where he was trapped.

"No. For the same reason. I know you'd loosen up if I needed you to. I trust you, hon."

Steve kissed the back of Danny's neck and felt the slight shiver Danny gave in response. It made him smile as he pressed kisses in a line along Danny's shoulder. "I know neither of us has the energy tonight, but in the morning we could maybe…"

"Hmm-hmm," Danny agreed. "After we get some sleep. I can still see that kid's face when I close my eyes."

"You had no choice, he would have shot you."

"Doesn't make it any easier."

"I know. But that's why we've got the fort - it'll block out all the crap and under here it's just the two of us. A safe space. Maybe it'll help our brains switch off more."

"Like when kids block out the bad weather or their parents fighting."

"Something like that." Steve agreed, nodding his head against Danny's. The whole reason the memories had surfaced of it was his need to try and block things out. Hopefully it would work. There was probably some psychological explanation to do with the innocence of youth and a return to safety or some such bullshit. Steve didn't care. If it worked, it worked. "Just us," he hummed. "The soft pillows, the glow of the torch, the smell of passion fruit- which I think is your shampoo-"

"You know it is," Danny smiled. "It was a present from Grace and you are well aware that it makes my hair really soft but with volume, too, it's amazing."

"It is. It's amazing. Without all that product you use it just falls all over the place and feels so good against my cheek," he said as he rubbed his face against Danny's head and then brought a hand up to card through the locks, twisting them around a finger.

Danny reached back to swat at him. "Stop playing with my hair, I'm trying to sleep."

"So am I," Steve pointed out.

"Then stop talking."

"Fine. I'll just think about the things I'm going to do to you in the morning."

"If you're lucky, you can keep your hands in my passion fruit smelling, soft hair while I suck you off, how about that," Danny offered, mumbling into his pillow again.

"That's one of the best idea you've ever had. That'll work."

"Good. Shut up then."

There was silence from Steve, just the slight shift of his hips into Danny's ass as he tightened their positions together and the soft huffs of breath against the back of Danny's neck.

By morning, their fort had collapsed around them, Steve was sprawled out on his back across the middle of the bed and Danny was keeping to his word.


End file.
